4th December, 2016
UN commission on human rights in south Sudan is warning that the world’s youngest country is on the brink of catastrophe. The three-member commission was issuing a statement at the end of a ten-day visit to south Sudan. The chairperson of the commission, Yasmin Sooka, cited disturbing indicators such as an increase in hate speech, a crackdown on the media and civil society, deepening divisions between the country’s 64 tribes. Other factors are renewed recruitment in a country already awash with guns and the proliferation of armed groups aligned to both sides engaging in armed conflict. The commission says the stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda noting that the international community is under an obligation to prevent it.